Cargo stowed in ocean shipping containers must be secured to prevent shifting in any direction, particularly towards the doors. Voids between individual cargo units and/or container walls must be filled and/or cargo can be secured against falling, tipping and sliding by using multiple lashing and anchor points provided on the top and bottom side rails and on the corner posts. These lashing points generally comprise of rings (e.g. D-rings) which allow the passage of straps or ropes used for securing the load. Most ocean shipping containers, except for refrigerated containers (“reefers”) provide multiple lashing and anchor points. U.S. Pat. No. 6,666,635 describes an example of a load securement method for cargo making use of D-rings or other lashing points. U.S. Pat. No. 7,841,815 also describes a cargo restraint system comprising conventional tie down rings. During securing of cargo prior to transport, problems arise if the condition of the lashing points is compromised due to rust, wear and tear or deformation. Their strength restricts the weight of the cargo that can be secured: as per the ISO 1496-1:1990, the rated maximum Safe Working Load (SWL) or Lashing Capacity (LC) is only between 500 and 1,000 daN per lashing point (“Each anchor point shall be designed and installed to provide a minimum rated load of 1000 kg applied in any direction, and each lashing point shall be designed and installed to provide a minimum rated load of 500 kg applied in any direction”). Exceeding the rated strength of the lashing points, either through forces of cargo in transit or using lashing materials with a higher strength rating may lead to regulatory authorities rejecting the container for (ocean) transportation, resulting in lost time and additional cost of re-loading and securing. The latter implies a considerable loss in time and money for the cargo companies and/or the principal for the transport, not to mention the negative impact it has on the companies offering securing services to these cargo companies.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,948 describes a belt fitting engagement rail mounted to the side of a container for securing a belt fitting attached at the end of a belt. The system of U.S. '948 is not suitable for securing heavy loads.
Containers should be packed and cargo secured in accordance with the IMO/ILO/UN ECE Guidelines for packing of cargo transport units (CTUs). These CTU packing guidelines are published by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and International Labor Organization (ILO).
Finally, securing cargo by use of lashing points is cumbersome. In general, cargo will be secured by straps which extend in vertical and horizontal directions. This may lead to a very complicated strapping situation with use of a substantial amount of material, which is preferably to be avoided.
There remains a need in the art for an alternative system to the currently known securing methods making use of these lashing and anchor points. By preference, such alternative should be time and money saving, easy to use and have the potential to be generally accepted by International Regulatory Authorities. The present invention aims to provide a method and system for securing goods which will resolve at least some of the problems mentioned above.